The Buffalo City Metro is working with intergovernmental stakeholders to address the illegal occupation of land, where people have started building shacks on graveyards.
Shacks have been erected around Lujiza Cemetery in Duncan Village, East London. Some are reportedly built directly on top of graves.
City spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya explains, “We have since set up a multidisciplinary task team comprising all our departments—legal services, human settlements, land, and cemeteries.”
Among the graves at Lujiza Cemetery are those of 23 victims of the Duncan Village Massacre, killed on 11 August 1985 during the Apartheid regime, after attending the funeral of human rights activist Victoria Mxenge in Qonce.
Ngwenya said the task team is determined to remove illegal occupants from the graveyard. “Our Human Settlements team has been given four weeks to screen these individuals to see who is eligible to be moved.” He added that some of the current occupants are already on the list to receive RDP houses.
He assured the public that land is being identified for relocation, stating, “As soon as we get those things in order, our legal team will proceed with evictions so that we can manage this process legally.”
Ngwenya also noted a similar situation under investigation in Mdantsane. “We are aware of a similar case in Mdantsane. It looks like this land parcel is old, and it was discovered at some point that it could be a cemetery.”
Meanwhile, a resident from Gompo, Zandile Venkile, mentioned that shacks on graves aren’t a new occurrence. “Those shacks have been there for years. Those people were removed at some point, but they came back and rebuilt because they have no place to go.”
Buffalo City’s cemeteries have also been criticized for poor upkeep. Reports of overgrown bushes, tall grass, fallen trees, and looted graves have caused local unrest.
Ngwenya suggests that the neglect of graveyards might be contributing to encroachments on graveyards. “One of our challenges is that we need to improve cemetery maintenance—this is not the only cemetery in poor condition.” He noted that they are revisiting their budget to address this issue.
While Ngwenya acknowledged that neglected land might attract invaders, he was clear that no illegal land occupation can be justified, regardless of the cemetery’s state.
